After they finish blooming, the leaves are ugly and mushy. But luckily by then they will be grown over with another invasive . . .

Geranium macrorrhizum. While it is not listed as an invasive in my plant encyclopedia, in my garden this hardy geranium seeds readily and tends to pop up all over the place.

Still it has many merits: it is a great, easy-care perennial ground cover for shade, it seems to keep weeds at bay, the bees love it, the slugs don’t, and the blossoms are pretty.

Geranium macrorrhizum

Other Darlings

In this shade garden, the real estate is shared. The cyclamen coum that was blooming in winter has mostly gone dormant and been covered by the plants that have emerged in spring.

Pacific Trillium (T. ovatum) is a perennial native to the Pacific Northwest. I have a few of these subtle beauties in my shade garden.

Pacific Trillium

As they continue to lose their natural habitats, gardeners can help keep these native plants thriving right in their own gardens.

Giant Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. communtatum) is a fun, dramatic shade plant that reaches up to four feet tall when blooming. To me, it looks a bit prehistoric.

Giant Solomon’s seal

I have not been able to identify the species of Epimedium growing in the shade garden. The leaves are smaller and the plant more delicate than the species I talked about in my April plant pick. It’s such a fresh-looking shade of green.

Epimedium

All of these plants are currently thriving in my shade garden, USDA zone 8a.

You may be thinking, “It’s a shade garden – where are the hostas?” Those are planted in containers (in a semi-successful effort to protect them from slugs) and they will be making their appearances soon.

Let’s Sit a While

Looking at the bench my father built, I got discouraged. There were invasive bluebells blooming behind it, weeds springing up under it, and a red-leaf hazelnut tree over it in desperate need of pruning.

Then I realized I had just the right quick fix: I could tie together the colors of the weeds, invasives, and run-away tree with a fabric remnant I had in my sewing room. If you can’t beat them, join them. And so I made a bench pillow.

This will have to do for now. But the pillow has motivated me. Maybe this will be the year that I finally get to planting some pretty annuals around the bench. Just maybe.

6 Replies to “Darlings of the Shade Garden”

Your shade garden is absolutely gorgeous! I love how you have memorial things in it as well. I have a small shade garden as well. A friend gave me starts of Solomon Seal last year and I really enjoy it. A lot of what you have are not perennials in our zone 5. I don’t mind some plants taking over. It’s much better than weeds! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

Thanks Jann. Yes I have to admit that I love the colors of the bluebells and the hardy geraniums even though they want to take over the world. They sure are easy care! Hope we’ll be seeing some pics of your shade garden in your Daily Cup.
Heidi

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